Tilt linkage for bulldozer blade mounting assemblies

ABSTRACT

A mounting assembly providing for tilt adjustment of a bulldozer blade. The blade is pivotally supported by a pair of push arms. Motor means are pivotally interconnected between the respective push arms and the blade for adjusting blade pitch with one of the motor means being connected with the blade by means of a pivotal link. The blade is tilted by additional motor means interconnected between the blade and the link.

United States Patent Fryrear et al. [45] Apr. 4, 1972 s41 TILT LINKAGE FOR BULLDOZER 3,222,804 12/1965 Kuhl ..172/80l x BLADE MOUNTING ASSEMBLIES 2,827,717 3/1958 Duke et a1. ..l72/803 2,869,256 1/1959 Pereira ..l72/803 [721 ggg g fi' 3,487,884 1/1970 Volberding ..l72/809 x [73] Assignee: Caterpillar Tractor Co., Peoria, [IL FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 22 Jam 9 1970 799,180 8/1958 Great Britain ..l72/803 PP NOJ 1,623 Primary Examiner-Clyde l. Coughenour Attorney-Fryer, Tjensvold, Feix, Phillips & Lempio [52] U.S. Cl ..l72/804, 172/806, 172/809 511 Int. Cl. ..E02i 3/76 AB TR C [58] held of Search "172/ 801-807 A mounting assembly providing for tilt adjustment of a bull- 172,809 dozer blade. The blade is pivotally supported by a pair of push R f d arms. Motor means are pivotally interconnected between the e erences l e respective push arms and the blade for adjusting blade pitch UNITED STATES PATENTS with one of the motor means being connected with the blade I by means of a pivotal link. The blade is tilted by additional l Ull'lCh 1 X motor means interconnected between the blade and the 3,226,858 l/l966 Spannhake... 3,452,828 7/1969 Deli 11 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures INVENTORS MAX D. FRYREAR EUGENE M. WILSON 7D I MZWLI M m M I ATTORNEYS Patented April 4, 1972 3,653,451

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS MAX D. FRYREAR EUGENE M. WILSON TILT LINKAGE FOR BULLDOZER BLADE MOUNTING v ASSEMBLIES The present invention relates to bulldozer blade mounting assemblies, and more particularly to a mounting assembly including novel means for effectively adjusting blade tilt. In a preferred embodiment, the pivotal link means are associated with motor means for adjusting pitch of the blade and additional motor means are provided for adjusting elevation of the blade.

Numerous bulldozer blade mounting assemblies are known in the priorart which provide various combinations of pitch, tilt and elevation adjustment for the blade. However, a mounting assembly constructed in accordance with the present invention is believed to provide for adjustment of blade tilt in a particularly novel and effective manner.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a bulldozer blade mounting assembly including novel means for adjusting blade tilt.

It is a further object to provide such a mOunting assembly wherein the means for adjusting the blade tilt comprises pivotal link means which assist in establishing blade pitch together with means for positioning the pivotal link means and thereby adjusting blade tilt.

Additional objects and advantages of the present invention are made apparent in the following description having reference to the accompanying drawings.

IN THE DRAWINGS:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a bulldozer blade supported at one end of a vehicle by a mounting assembly which embodies the present invention; and

FIGS. 2 and 3 are views taken respectively along section lines II-II and Ill-Ill of Fig. 1.

An embodiment of the present mounting assembly is indicated generally at 11 in the drawings for supporting a blade assembly 12 upon one end of a vehicle, a portion of which is indicated at 13. The vehicle shown in the drawings is of a type having .wheels such as those indicated at 14. However, it will be apparent that the mounting assembly of the present invention is also suitable for use with track type vehicles, for example.

Referring particularly to Fig. l, the blade 12 is secured to the vehicle by means of push arms 16 and 17 which are pivoted at 18 and 19 respectively to opposite sides of the vehicle. Brackets 21 and 22 extend rearwardly from blade 12 and are respectively secured to the push arms 16 and 17 by means of universal ball joints indicated at 23 and 24. Portions of the push arms 16 and 17 extend toward each other adjacent the blade 12 and are secured together by means of an articulated joint indicated at 26. A hydraulic motor 27 for raising and lowering the blade has its cylinder 28 secured to the vehicle by means of a trunnion mounting 29. A universal joint 31 secures the rd end 32 of the motor to a bifurcated bracket 33 which is fixed upon a central portion of the blade 12.

Hydraulic motors or jacks 41 and 42 are pivotally connected to the respective push arms 16 and 17 by the universal joints indicated at 43 and 44. The rod end 46 of the motor 41 is secured by means of a universal joint 47 to a bifurcated bracket. 48 extending rearwardly from an upper portion of the blade assembly 12. The other blade pitching motor 42 is also pivotally connected to the blade assembly 12 in a manner described in greater detail immediately below.

Having particular reference to Fig. 2 as well as Fig. 1, novel means within the present mounting assembly which provide for tilt adjustment of the blade are particularly embodied within pivotal link means. In the drawings, the pivotal link means are shown as comprising an elongated member such as that indicated at 51 in FIGS. 1 and 2. The link member 51 is pivotally secured to the blade assembly 12 as indicated at 52. The link member extends rearwardly from the pivot 52 toward the vehicle with its rearward end forming a bifurcated bracket 53 which may be best seen in Fig. l. The rod end 54 of the blade pitching motor 42 is secured to a rearward portion of the link member 51 by a universal joint indicated at 56.

As may be seen in Figs. 2 and 3, the blade pitching motors 41, 42 appear as members which extend upwardly and toward the blade from their pivotal connections with the push arms 16 and 17. Because of their interconnection with the push arms l6, l7 and the blade assembly 12, the motors 41, 42 provide triangular supports together with the bracket 48 and the link member 51 for establishing pitch of the blade assembly 12.

The present invention also provides means for positioning the link 51 and thereby changing the triangular relation of the motor 42, the push arm 17 and the blade assembly 12 to provide for tilt adjustment of the blade. The means for positioning the link member 51 is embodied within a motor or hydraulic jack 61 which is pivotally interconnected between the blade at 62 and a rearward portion of the link member 51 as indicated at 63. As may be best seen in Fig. 2, the motor 61 is arranged inperpendicular relation to the pivot axis 52 by which the link member 51 is secured to the blade. In this manner, the motor 6] may be extended or retracted to vary the triangular relations'hip of the blade pitching motor 42, the push arm 17 and the blade assembly 12.

To adjust the tilt position of the blade, the motor 61 may, for example, be retracted which results in the pivot 52 being urged further away from the pivot 44 and tends to increase the angular relation between the push arm 17 and an adjacent ortion of the blade assembly 12. The opposite end of the blade assembly 12 tends to remain in the same position because of the fixed triangular relationship between the blade pitching motor 41, the push arm 16 and the blade assembly 12. Thus, operation of the blade tilting motor 61 tends to cause stress within the blade and mounting assembly which tends to raise the right end of the blade, shown for example in Fig. 2 and toward the bottom of Fig. 1. Conversely, when the motor is extended, it tends to urge the pivot joint 52 toward the pivot 44 and similarly results in relative downward movement of the right end of the blade assembly.

We claim:

1. A mounting assembly for supporting a bulldozer blade at one end of a vehicle and providing adjustment of blade pitch and tilt, comprising 7 the vehicle,

a pair of push arms pivotally interconnected between opposite sides of the vehicle and blade,

extendible motor means pivotally interconnected between the respective push arms and the blade for adjusting blade pitch, one of the blade pitching motor means being pivotally connected with a rigid link which link is pivotally connected with the blade, and

means coupled with the link and the blade for adjusting its angular relation with the blade, said last recited means being arranged substantially perpendicularly to a pivot axis between the blade and the link.

2. The invention of claim 1 further comprising motor means effectively interconnected between the vehicle and blade for adjusting blade elevation.

3. The invention of claim 2 wherein the blade pitching motor means and the motor means effectively interconnected between the vehicle and blade are hydraulic jacks.

4. The invention of claim 1 wherein pivotal connections for the blade pitching motor means are universal pivot connections.

5. The invention of claim 1 wherein the means coupled with the link is a hydraulic jack.

6. The invention of claim 5 wherein the link is an elongated member extending generally toward the vehicle from its pivotal connection with the blade, the one blade pitching motor means and the jack between the link and blade being pivotally connected to a portion of the link remote from its pivotal connection with the blade.

7. The invention of claim 6 wherein the other blade pitching motor means is pivotally connected to a fixed bracket on the blade.

8. The invention of claim 6 wherein the blade pitching motor means are hydraulic jacks angled upwardly and forwardly along their respective push arms toward their pivotal connections with the blade, the jack interconnected between the link and blade being arranged generally vertically above one of the push arms.

9. A mounting assembly for supporting a bulldozer blade upon a vehicle, comprising a pair of push arms pivotally interconnected between the vehicle and blade,

a pair of members respectively pivoted to the push arms, the members angling upwardly and toward the blade along their respective push arms for pivotal connection with the blade, one of the members being pivotally connected with a rigid link which link is pivotally connected with the blade, and

means coupled with the link and the blade for adjusting the links position and varying the proximity of the pivotal connection between the one member and the link relative to the blade, said last recited means being arranged substantially perpendicularly to the pivot axis between the blade and link.

10. The invention of claim 9 wherein the means operatively associated with the link is a hydraulic jack pivotally interconnected between the link and the blade.

11. The invention of claim 10 wherein the members pivotally interconnected between the respective push arms and the blade are hydraulic jacks for adjusting pitch of the blade and further comprising additional motor means interconnected between the vehicle and the blade for adjusting elevation of the blade. 

1. A mounting assembly for supporting a bulldozer blade at one end of a vehicle and providing adjustment of blade pitch and tilt, comprising the vehicle, a pair of push arms pivotally interconnected between opposite sides of the vehicle and blade, extendible motor means pivotally interconnected between the respective push arms and the blade for adjusting blade pitch, one of the blade pitching motor means being pivotally connected with a rigid link which link is pivotally connected with the blade, and means coupled with the link and the blade for adjusting its angular relation with the blade, said last recited means being arranged substantially perpendicularly to a pivot axis between the blade and the link.
 2. The invention of claiM 1 further comprising motor means effectively interconnected between the vehicle and blade for adjusting blade elevation.
 3. The invention of claim 2 wherein the blade pitching motor means and the motor means effectively interconnected between the vehicle and blade are hydraulic jacks.
 4. The invention of claim 1 wherein pivotal connections for the blade pitching motor means are universal pivot connections.
 5. The invention of claim 1 wherein the means coupled with the link is a hydraulic jack.
 6. The invention of claim 5 wherein the link is an elongated member extending generally toward the vehicle from its pivotal connection with the blade, the one blade pitching motor means and the jack between the link and blade being pivotally connected to a portion of the link remote from its pivotal connection with the blade.
 7. The invention of claim 6 wherein the other blade pitching motor means is pivotally connected to a fixed bracket on the blade.
 8. The invention of claim 6 wherein the blade pitching motor means are hydraulic jacks angled upwardly and forwardly along their respective push arms toward their pivotal connections with the blade, the jack interconnected between the link and blade being arranged generally vertically above one of the push arms.
 9. A mounting assembly for supporting a bulldozer blade upon a vehicle, comprising a pair of push arms pivotally interconnected between the vehicle and blade, a pair of members respectively pivoted to the push arms, the members angling upwardly and toward the blade along their respective push arms for pivotal connection with the blade, one of the members being pivotally connected with a rigid link which link is pivotally connected with the blade, and means coupled with the link and the blade for adjusting the link''s position and varying the proximity of the pivotal connection between the one member and the link relative to the blade, said last recited means being arranged substantially perpendicularly to the pivot axis between the blade and link.
 10. The invention of claim 9 wherein the means operatively associated with the link is a hydraulic jack pivotally interconnected between the link and the blade.
 11. The invention of claim 10 wherein the members pivotally interconnected between the respective push arms and the blade are hydraulic jacks for adjusting pitch of the blade and further comprising additional motor means interconnected between the vehicle and the blade for adjusting elevation of the blade. 